Keir Starmer's national grooming gangs inquiry has stalled amid disagreements over its remit and difficulties in appointing a chair, four months after the prime minister launched the investigation. The Home Office confirmed that the search for a chair is ongoing, with senior legal figures reportedly reluctant to take on the role due to the politically sensitive nature of the issue.
A panel of stakeholders, including survivors of abuse rings, is still discussing the terms of the statutory inquiry. Sources indicate that there have been disputes over whether to include cases of child sexual exploitation committed by individuals other than street-based grooming gangs, and suggestions to expand the inquiry to cover broader regional sexual abuse have also caused rows.
Officials have struggled to find suitable candidates to chair the inquiry, with some senior legal figures turning down informal approaches. The toxic nature of the issue, particularly the need to explore why men of Pakistani origin have dominated many abuse rings, has been cited as a deterrent. Additionally, the intense media scrutiny faced by chairs of the previous Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) has put off potential candidates.
Richard Scorer, head of abuse law at Slater and Gordon, expressed no surprise at the difficulties, noting that serious candidates may be unwilling to sacrifice years on a controversial inquiry without assurance that recommendations will be implemented. He criticised the IICSA grooming gangs investigation as insufficiently thorough.
The government launched the inquiry in June after a three-month audit by Dame Louise Casey and pressure from survivors and Elon Musk. Home Office minister Jess Phillips told MPs last month that the appointment of a chair was in its final stages, with a panel of survivors involved in the approval process. A Home Office spokesperson reiterated the government's commitment to preventing such crimes.
